Ghost in the Machine
by AlSmash
Summary: Plastic flesh and metal bones. Steel hearts and electric souls. Humanity is an idea, not a species - and one that has proven to be difficult to accept for the wider galaxy. But Motoko Kusanagi is no stranger to conflict; a legend well before the First Contact War began, in its aftermath she has become something else entirely.
1. Prologue

**This is just another one of those little side-projects that percolated in my head and demanded to get out. It, like pretty much everything else, is going to be a low-priority burner, but maybe it'll kick off others to start something along those lines. In between the sudden demands of Papiergeist, and trying to meet my imposed focus upon Infy, I just needed to release, and so here it is.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

"What about Shepard? She grew up in the colonies."

Three heads turned to look at Donnell Udina, two of them surprised by the suggestion, while the third showed no expression whatsoever. After all, it wasn't often that a career politician would suggest such a colorful character.

"What about her," Captain David Anderson asked, himself interested as to why Udina would suggest a girl who had become a prized pupil to himself.

"She spent most of her life on frontline starships, so she is aware of how difficult life is on the frontier," Udina answered, steepling his hands as he looked at the gathering, "furthermore, her military service is unparalleled considering."

This drew a snort from Admiral Steven Hackett, "That would be an understatement, Ambassador. It must be a familial thing, but she seems to always find themselves in a conflict wherever she goes. Her service during the Skyllian Blitz and the Torfan campaign has earned her a hero status among the enlisted."

"And a rather hefty bounty on her head from the Batarians," Udina added, "Anderson? Your thoughts?"

"She'd be good as a representative for humanity," he conceded after a few moments, "the only things I would be worried about is how she would handle situations in which her combat training would not provide an answer. Don't get me wrong, gentlemen, give her a few years and I think she would be ready, but do we want to push such a daunting task upon her at this stage?"

This caused an uncomfortable shift in the room, considering this was the first attempt by humanity in providing an application for what was largely considered the right hand of the Council. This was a large step that was fraught with plenty of minefields to which it could blow up in humanity's face, considering even now, the status of humanity in the view of the rest of the galaxy constantly seemed to be in flux, depending on the political winds of the day.

"Well, David, you seem to have your own suggestion," Hackett deadpanned.

Having put his foot out, David Anderson looked to his left at the fourth member of their ad hoc meeting as Donnell Udina lit a cigarette for himself.

"The Major."

Udina, who had been mid-drag into his cigarette began choking, eyes widening in surprise, as Hackett adopted a thoughtful expression. After a few moments of regaining his breath, Udina decided that it would better to err on the side of caution so as not to be surprised, and stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes flitting to the fourth member himself before looking back to Anderson.

"The Turians will bray for blood," Udina observed, before a predatory smile began, "okay, I'll bite, Anderson, give me your sales pitch."

"I don't think I need to give one, Udina," Anderson admitted with a shrug, "considering everyone has grown up with stories of her. If you want the best example of what humanity can provide, I think we can all agree that she would be hands-down the best."

"Then there is the political aspect of it," Udina mused, catching on quickly, "the Asari would be for it, considering her connections with the Matriarchs on Thessia. The Salarians view her as an interesting oddity, then again, they view humanity in much the same light, so they would likely greenlight it. The Turians, well, those that don't outright despise her, will either respect or fear her, considering her actions on Shanxi."

"All valid points," Hackett agreed, "the only problem is that she's retired again, and no one knows where to find her."

"Not exactly," the fourth finally spoke, his mouth unmoving and causing all three men to turn toward the fourth, a man with grey hair that shined like silver in the low light, and dressed in a white suit jacket with a grey shift that had a zip-up collar that reached up to his cheeks.

While the tale of Motoko Kusanagi was one that was spoken and taught to children, the story of HIdeo Kuze was one that arguably had a larger impact upon humanity that was still felt even today. A former revolutionary, the man had 'died' almost two hundred years ago, only to reappear almost a decade later to the stunned shock of many. What his return had heralded was a revolution in cyberspace that had changed the very direction of humanity from its largely self-destructive ways, having helped avert a fifth world war, and focused it as a species upon exploration and expansion.

But even more importantly, both culturally and societally, death become a choice, instead of an eventuality thanks to what was largely referred to as The Dejima Revolution. As a result of this, Kuze had accrued a cult-like following over the years to where the man was considered in the same vein as other social figures such as Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. And more often than not, he was found in the circles of power, or involved in significant events, as a an advisor of sorts.

So when he had imposed upon this meeting, all three other men had been interested, as Kuze, much like The Major herself at times, was largely reclusive, instead spending large amounts of time in cyberspace communing with others.

"You know where she is," Udina asked, surprised, though that was quickly tempered with the knowledge that if anyone knew where Motoko Kusanagi was, it would have been the man who's story originated in the same time and place, let alone a rumored lover.

"I do," was the simple response, as Kuze's face refused to move. It was a unique feature, as while Kuze's resurgence over a hundred and fifty years ago had been in a different body, he had quickly returned to his choice of having a face made by a sculpter.

"So the question is, should we supply her application to the Council, then?"

"What about Shepard, though," Hackett asked.

"Why not both," Anderson asked, before shrugging his shoulders, "Kusanagi would likely pass with flying colors, because, whether we like it or not, she is Spectre in all but name because of her career. It will also provide the Council with a different perspective on cyberization outside of what we have tried to make them understand. Shepard is not fully cyberized like the Major, but she does have the bare minimum of what we expect from combat troops. With Kusanagi's worldly knowledge, and Shepard's military prowess, I don't think the Council will take offense if we offer them as a pair, and Shepard could use some grounding in regards to the world and the galaxy at large so when Kusanagi chooses to retire again..."

"So we're settled then, we'll submit the applications for both," Udina asked.

Agreement seemed to be the common feature to the gathering, before they looked again to Kuze, who then chose to rise to his feet.

"I will personally talk with Councillor Tevos then, for assigning a Spectre overseer. I feel that she will be intrigued by your selections."

"Kuze, may I inquire as to where The Major is currently at," Anderson found himself asking, as the cyborg walked towards the door, stopping as the door opened.

"She's at a monastery on Eden Prime."


	2. Déjà Vu

**Surprise...**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Déjà Vu**

When humanity expanded out into space, one of the first victims to breath its last, gasping, breath had been religion as it had faded from the mainstream. The advent of the Dejima Revolution had already left many of the religions in a crippled state as death lost its meaning in the infinite vastness that was the net. It, along with the expansion into space, had simply rendered the continuation of religion as a niche, philosophical debate instead of the vaunted elephant in the room that it had been.

That wasn't to say God, or any of its other incarnations, was dead, it was merely an irrelevancy in the grand scheme of things. It had instead evolved from a singularly theological foci, to a deeply personal and philosophical discussion that was treated more situationally to nearly the point of academia.

After all, if one could not realistically die, what was the point of the measure of one's soul? That is not to say there were not consequences for one's actions that _could_ result in the termination of one's ghost, thereby achieving death, and there were of course those who chose to live a 'normal' life and chose to self-terminate once they felt they had lived enough. It was just a matter of the question of whether one achieved heaven or hell, nirvana or limbo, really did not find a foothold unless someone chose to pursue it.

Yet, in the ashes of those mainstream religions rose a group that began with the return of Hideo Kuze from the depths of the infinite vastness of cyberspace. It was a movement that revolved around cyberspace itself, exploring its vastness, but also serving to record and maintain it in a way for future generations to understand. These Curators, as they were called, performed their quasi-religious duties in a way that many had flocked under their banner, seeking a deeper understanding for themselves. While space may be the final frontier of exploration without, cyberspace had become the final frontier within for humanity.

As such, throughout human-controlled territories (and increasingly in places with a growing population of humanity), structures were created in order to allow those who wished to simply tap into this cyberspace for themselves in a peaceful setting amongst others. Like the monks of old, these monasteries, for lack of better word, had become nodes for humanity to confabulate and share in their experience.

It was in one of these, on Eden Prime, that burgundy-red eyes slowly opened for the first time in several days, light filtering through the receptors as they automatically adjusted and provided sight in a fraction of a second.

For Motoko Kusanagi, known to many simply as The Major, her presence here was not one of for spiritual refreshing, as for many who treated such retreats. That would imply that she needed such spirituality anymore, when in actuality she hadn't needed any of the sort since the events leading up to the Dejima Revolution, when she had, for all intents and purposes, truly died, sacrificing herself to ensure that Kuze's dream would succeed by destroying the Nix program that the American Empire had unleashed upon Japan in an attempt to reassert itself at the top of the international food chain.

Even now, she could recall death, insofar as to what it meant to have been fully cyberized, to merely float in limbo, rudderless, without purpose. She had simply become shattered code without conscious thought in the vast ocean that had been cyberspace, unable to recognize who she was, or what her purpose had been in the few instances in which she _could_ process her fragmentary existence. And in those moments, she had only wished to fade away to nothingness.

Unconsciously, her eyes closed, pushing away that dark memory as she reached up to the back of her neck and disconnected the cables that had connected her to the hub that dominated the room that had been her home since she had arrived on Eden Prime.

Eden Prime was a beautiful world, there was no doubt about it, and to anyone who knew of her status they would believe the story that she had chosen to take another sojourn from the world. Officially, it made sense, she had disappeared several times in the last century, usually to have it end as one trouble or another that required her unique touch cropped up, Shanxi notwithstanding.

No, the real reason she was here was at the request of Kuze and Prime Minister Shastri because they both believed she was the best equipped for this situation and had been specifically asked for…

By the Geth.

At first, it was the opinion of the higher-ups of the Systems Alliance that the Geth be met simply with silence. It was already difficult to work with the Council considering the fact that humanity's very existence stomped all over the Council's laws regarding Artificial Intelligence. To actually communicate with the Geth, for any reason whatsoever, would more than likely raise the ire of the Council, if not reignite hostilities with the Turian Hierarchy who would be looking for any excuse to get even for the shame they had suffered at Shanxi.

That wasn't even including the Quarians, who already treated humanity with barely veiled hostility.

Yet, it had been Kuze who had merely pointed out that while humanity had the story of both the Quarians and Council in regards to the Geth, they had yet to get the Geth's side of the conflict. In fact, he had reminded them all, that the AI laws that were put in place were only to prevent any of the other races from creating an AI that would replicate the Morning War upon the entirety of Citadel space, instead of merely the Quarians.

So, it had been tentatively agreed upon, that they would make contact with the Geth, with herself acting in the role of first contact mediator.

She had at first been curious as to why they had requested her, after all, she was no diplomat, nor was she considered a master in the necessary skills of foreign relations upon the galactic stage. If anything, she could be best described as a soldier-philosopher, someone who both understand what it meant to fight for something, but could also back it up with a deep breadth of knowledge that stemmed from her ability to _think_.

Yet, it had been none of that. When she had inquired, they had simply provided her with a series of essays that she had written under a pseudonym after her death and rebirth. It had been written at a time in which she had found herself floundering, and through her writing, she had found the answer that had been plaguing her since she had become fully cyberized. While she had no intention for it to ever become anything more than the type of essays that you would argue in deeply intellectual circles, it had been instead exploded in a society that had been upturned by the Dejima Revolution and sought answers to a deeply existential question.

So when the Geth had shown her that collection of essays, now known to humanity simply as the _Ghost in the Shell Papers_ , she had been taken aback that something written so long ago and in such a dark time, had been the very reason that this race had sought her out. Then again, those essays would in fact be something that would attract the Geth, as the question that had been firmly asked in the beginning of her book had been the cause of the Morning War, as the Quarians were ill-equipped to answer such a deep question.

And now…

Now there might be a chance to clear the air and let peace have a chance.

But that was for the future, she reminded herself, her role here was merely to serve as the gatekeeper, ensuring that the Geth were truly genuine in their quest for peace. What happened from here on out would depend upon others.

" _Major Kusanagi."_

" _Yes, Janus,"_ she greeted the Geth who been designated by the Collective as the platform who would serve as their contact with the Human Systems Alliance, and more specifically, her. She had given him the name as a gift signifying the hopeful beginnings of their relationship.

" _System Alliance extrasolar comm relays have just gone offline. A Batarian raiding fleet has come out of FTL near the planet designated Nirvana. They are on a course for Eden Prime escorting a Dreadnought of unknown make and classification."_

This drew a frown, even as she realized what it meant. While Eden Prime was defended to a certain extent, it wasn't defended to the level that the Systems Alliance had wanted, thanks to Turian interference. If a Batarian raiding fleet was inbound with a Dreadnought of all things…

" _Do you have a means of getting a message out,"_ she asked, even as she noted that several people were already coming out of their commune in the cyberspace nexus. She ignored them quickly, as she strode out of the room, the doors opening even before she approached them thanks to her hacking them.

" _This platform does. We are transmitting a message to Systems Alliance in Arcturus and The Collective requesting assistance."_

" _Thank you, Janus. Have you been detected,"_ she asked, even though she knew the answer to that. Janus had arrived in the Utopia System weeks ago in a Geth scout ship, it was not logged on any Systems Alliance networks thanks to her hacking a hole in it, but just because it was not there on their scopes, didn't mean that someone else would detect it.

" _We have not."_

" _Good. Stay hidden, Janus. This is our fight down here, I don't want you to be harmed when so much progress has been made."_

" _This platform refuses, Major Kusanagi."_

She had just arrived at the personal armory she had requisitioned for her stint on Eden Prime that was part of the hub when that declaration had reached her, causing her to stop for a moment, wondering if her connection had translated that correctly. Once she realized she had, she turned in the direction she knew Janus' ship was, as if here gaze would be enough to make the Geth platform stand down.

" _Janus, Eden Prime is about to become a battleground. Your destruction will not benefit the dialogues to come. You will stay on your ship, and if possible, you will escape the system."_

" _This platform argues that your destruction would not benefit the dialogue as well. While this platform is expendable, you are not. This platform shall stay and defend Major Kusanagi."_

The alarms had just begun sounding, and for a moment, a picosecond really, she considered arguing with the stalwart collection of Geth programs, then discarded it, recognizing the frivolity of continue the argument. Instead, she shook her head with a sigh, a small knowing smirk framing itself on her face.

" _Very well then, Janus. Meet up with me at this location."_

She then cut the link for a moment, before she opened up another, older and much more familiar one. A connection that had been with her ever since she had been assigned their quirky, yet loyal and resourceful, services so long ago.

" _Tachikoma."_

" _Yes, Major," came a flurry of excited, young female voices, along with a "Woo Hoo!" from another._

 _Some things never changed._


End file.
